THE wife of Osun State Governor, Mrs Kafayat Oyetola, on Thursday, commenced an empowerment programme for 1,000 women vegetable farmers with loans to support the government’s agriculture development plan.
Mrs Oyetola launched the loan scheme in Osogbo, in conjunction with Access Bank, to assist women farmers drawn from all parts of the state at a ceremony presided over by the state governor, Mr Gboyega Oyetola.
The programme is under her organisation, the Ilerioluwa Development Initiative (IDC) would create platform for 1,000 women farmers drawn from the 30 local government areas, who have been picked as the first set of beneficiaries of the loan.
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Speaking at launch of the loan scheme, she said the focus of the initiative was to ensure that women in the state are fully engaged in vegetable plantation to support local consumption
According to Oyetola, the vegetable scheme had been designed in three modules which include; the training module, the distribution of improved seeds that are expected to give good yields within a very short period to the women as well as the giving out of loans to the women to kick start the vegetable plantations.
She averred that “I am happy at the enthusiastic embrace of this scheme by our women who engage in agriculture as your response here today is a clear indication that collectively we are ready to bring tangible and fundamental change to the living standard of our people in this state.
“The agriculture sector has always been the main pillar for the sustenance of humanity in history. There used to be a time when our nation took the front position in this. It is commendable that we are beginning to witness an upsurge again. It is particularly gladdening that more and more women are embracing farming both as vocation and profession.
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This is one of the reasons our Foundation, the Ilerioluwa Development Initiative (IOD-Initiative) has come up with a programme of empowerment in agriculture in our state
In his remark, Osun State governor, Mr Gboyega Oyetola said his administration had resolved to bring out the best in every sector particularly in agriculture to ensure that the state has adequate foods to feed its people.
Describing vegetable farming as one of the productive areas of agriculture, Governor Oyetola called on the people of the state to start developing interest in it.
Oyetola urged the women in the state to key into the scheme, saying “we will support whoever ventures into vegetable farming to actualise his dreams”.
Vegetable contains essential vitamins that one needed to survive, hence the need for us particularly our women to key into this initiative.
“This is another lucrative business, it is easy to plant and harvest and we are ready to support whoever that is interested to engage in vegetable farming”, Oyetola stated
and then